Push button knife



Aug. 16, 1960 s. ORTNER 2,948,961

PUSH BUTTON KNIFE Filed July 21, 1959 ma 0mg ATTORN EYs United The present invention relates to a push button knife and particularly to a push button knife of the replace able blade type.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a push button knife in which a removable blade is mounted for sliding movement into and out of a handle member and is locked in a plurality of adjusted positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a push button knife of the class described above in which the knife lock is spring biased to locking position to prevent accidental unlocking of the blade.

A further object of the invention is to provide a push button knife of the class described above constructed so that the parts may be molded with a minimum of finishing operations required thereon.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded elevational view with the inner surfaces of the two sides of the knife turned outwardly;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the invention; and

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the knife carriage and lock removed from the handle.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference numeral indicates generally a push button knife constructed in accordance with the invention.

The push button knife 10 includes a handle, generally indicated at 11, having a right half 12 and a left half 13. The right half 12 of the handle 11 is of one-piece molded construction and has a relatively smooth arcuate upper edge 14 with a smooth arcuate lower edge 15 arranged in spaced apart opposed relation thereto. An upward and forwardly sloping front edge 16 connects the top edge 14 and the bottom edge 15, while an upward and forwardly sloping rear edge 17 is arranged in spaced apart opposed relation thereto connecting the rear edges of the upper edge 14 and the lower edge 15. The arcuate edge 14 has a flange 18 formed thereon extending to ward the left half 13 of the handle 11. A flange 19 is similarly formed on the rear edge 17 and a flange 20 is formed on the bottom edge 15. A generally rectangular, longitudinally extending groove 21 is formed in the edge 14 of the right half 12 of the handle 11 beginning from a point adjacent the forward edge 16 and terminating at a point intermediate the forward edge 16 and the rear edge 17. An upstanding boss 22 is formed on the inner face of the right side 12 of the handle 11 extending toward the left side 13 thereof. The boss 22 has an axial bore 23 extending therethrough to permit passage 1 atent C) 42,948,961 Patented Aug. 16, 1960 of an assemblying screw 24. An elongated rib 25 is formed on the right half 12 and extends from a point intermediate the front edge 16 and the rear edge 17 to the front edge 16. The rib 25 has upstanding parallel flanges 26, 27 formed on opposite sides thereof, for reasons to be assigned. An elongated slot 28 is formed centrally of the rib 25 terminating in inwardly spaced relation from each of the opposite ends of the rib 25.

The right half 12 has a somewhat wider slot 29 opening through the outer face thereof and communicating with the slot 28 throughout the length thereof. The upper edge 14 of the right half 12 has a recess 30 extending therealong coextensive with the generally rectangular groove 21. A plurality of generally rectangular notches 31 are formed in spaced apart relation in the upper edge '14 of the right half 12 opening toward the rib 2'5 and toward the left half 13. The front edge 16 of the right half 12 has a generally rectangular notch 32 ing rear edge 37. The upper edge 34 has a generally rectangular groove '38 formed therein in opposed relation to the groove 21 in the right half 12. A recess 39 coextensive with the groove 38 is formed in the upper edge 34 and is positioned in opposed relation to the recess 39. A plurality of notches 40 are formed in the upper edge 34 in spaced apart parallel relation and opposed to the notches 31. A peripheral flange 41 extends :from one end of the groove 33 along the upper edge 34, rear edge 37, lower edge 35, front edge 36 to the opposite end of the groove 38.

A substantially circular boss 42 is formed on the inner face of the left half 13 in aligned relation with the boss 22, as can be seen in Figure 3. The boss 42 has a threaded bore 43 formed therein to permit threaded engagement therethrough of the screw 24. Transverse strengthening webs 44 are formed in the right half 12 extending between the rib 25 and the lower edge 15. A longitudinally strengthening web 45 is formed in the left half 13 between the boss 42 and the forward edge 36. The right half 12 is provided with a transversely extending alignment pin 46 positioned adjacent the upper edge 14 intermediate the forward edge 16 and the rear edge 17 and projecting toward the left half 13. A second alignment pin 47 is mounted in the right half 12 adjacent the inner section of the lower edge 15 and the rear edge 17. The alignment pins 46, 47 are arranged in parallel relation. The left half 13 has a socket 48 formed therein adjacent the upper edge 34 to receive the alignment pin 46. A second socket 49 is formed in the left half 13 adjacent the inner section of the rear edge 3; and the lower edge 35 to receive the alignment pin 4 A bore 50 is formed in the right half 12 adjacent the rear edge 17 and a bore '51 is formed in the left half 13 adjacent the rear edge 37, with the bores 50, 51 arranged in axially aligned relation to receive a carrying ring 52 threaded therethrough.

A circular bushing 53 is positioned between the boss 22, 42 to maintain the proper spacing between the right half 12 and the left half 13 of the handle 11.

A carriage, generally indicated at 54, is positioned within the handle '11 for longitudinal sliding movement. The carriage 54 includes an elongated flat generally rectangular bar 55 arranged for sliding movement on the rib 25 cent the rear end thereof. The boss 56 ispositioned in the slot 28 for sliding movement therein and the bar 55 is secured to the rib 25 by a set screw 57 having the head 58 thereof engaged in the slot 29 communicating with the slot 28. A pair of vertically spaced angular offsets 66, 61 are formed in the bar 55 adjacent the guide boss 56 to provide a generally rectangular aperture 62 ex-- tending vertically alongside of the bar 55. A generally rectangular shaft 63 is slidably positioned in the aper- I ture 62 and extends through the opposed recesses 30, 39 and through the opposed grooves 21, 38. The shaft 63 has a generally circular fiat head 64 formed thereon intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof. The head 64 is arranged within the handle 11 and is adapted to engage in the notches 31, 40 on upward movement of the shaft 63. A coil spring 65 encompasses the shaft 63 engaging between the offsets 60 and the head 64, biasing the shaft 63 upwardly to normally maintain the head 64 in a selected one of the notches 31, 40.

A push button 66 is integrally formed on the upper end of the shaft 63 and is arranged to be engaged by the thumb of the user to slide the shaft 63 inwardly to release the head 64 from the notches 31, 40 and to then slide the carriage '4 longitudinally of the handle 11. The push button 66 slides longitudinally in the grooves 21, 38 when moving the carriage 54 in the handle 11. The bar 55 has a pair of closely spaced studs 67 formed thereon to engage through a pair of the bores 68 in the replaceable knife blade 69.

The web 45 and the webs 44 engage on opposite sides of the blade 69 to maintain the blade 69 in aligned relation with the lugs 67 so that no other securing means is required to fasten the blade 69 to the bar 55.

It should be noted that a simple one-hand operation can depress the push button 66 and adjust the blade 69 longitudinally of the handle 11.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A push button knife comprising a pair of handle halves detachably secured together along a longitudinally extending vertical plane, a carriage mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in said handle, said carriage comprising a bar, a guide boss on the side of said bar adjacent the rear end extending longitudinally thereof, a pair of vertically spaced angular offsets formed in said bar adjacent said guide boss, a pair of closely spaced studs formed on said carriage adjacent the front end thereof for supporting a generally flat knife blade thereon, a shaft mounted in the offsets on said carriage for vertical sliding movement therein, a plurality of notches formed in said handle in longitudinally spaced apart relation adjacent said carriage, a head formed on said shaft for selective engagement in said notches, a push button integrally formed on the outer end of said shaft for moving said shaft inwardly with respect to said carriage and sliding said shaft longitudinally to move said carriage longitudinally of said handle, and a coil spring encompassing said shaft engaging between said carriage and said head for normally biasing said head into seating engagement in a selected one of said notches.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said handle is provided with a slot underlying said carriage and the guide boss formed on said carriage engages through said slot.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein means ex tending through said slot and said guide boss detachably secures said carriage to said handle.

Nelson July 16, 1946 Ortner Jan. 27, 1959 

